The Perfect Guinea Pig
by chetspet
Summary: Darien gets captured by Chrysalis who experiment on the gland and torture Darien


THE PERFECT GUINEA PIG  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Darien was at home after a weirdly visible week of boring assignments, asleep, when some people broke in and started tearing his apartment up. When confronted, they started on him and told him he had better go invisible or they would KILL him.   
  
Refusing, he ran to the bedroom and closed the door to call Hobbes for help, but before he could, they rushed in with his cat and threatened to kill her if he does not comply, and held a knife to the terrified cat's neck, while preventing her from moving in any way.   
  
To prevent this, Darien put the phone down and obeyed. They dropped the cat, donned their thermals and escorted him out of the apartment.   
  
But before doing so, just to be mean, they killed his beloved plants, and Darien, frustrated and dejected, left, crying silently to himself, not only because of the plants, but because he had no idea WHAT was GOING ON???  
  
Calming himself down, as they left, he attempted to escape by materializing and running, but they shot him in the leg and threw him in the van, hit his head on the side and lost consciousness.   
  
When he awoke, he was in a padded cell, very confused and scared, but saw that his leg was cared for.  
  
He heard, overhead, someone talk to him and he refused to answer until the talker welcomed him to CHRYSALIS. They wanted him to betray America and work for them, which he flatly refused to do.   
  
They then threatened death, which Darien said was better than betrayal.  
They then threatened to make him a guinea pig for their fiendish experiments. They did this by attacking his already damaged ego by telling him that when his brother implanted the quicksilver gland in him he became the perfect guinea pig for all science and they would take advantage of it. And wouldn't use any thing to numb the pain as he is nothing but an experiment and thus less than alive to anyone. They emphasize this by saying just look at all the experimentation that your "friends" did on you.   
  
Stark stopped talking but observed Darien's reactions to these statements and got his desired ones of shock, fear and dejection. He went back to the Board and said we will wait 12 hours with no food or drink and then give him the invisibility ingestion product, let him go mad and antidote him, before we propose our plan. If after that, he is still stubborn, we will then have our perfect guinea pig for the MEXICO DRUG DROP PLAN.  
  
Meanwhile, Darien had not shown up at work for 2 days, and Hobbes and Claire had not been able to reach him. The Official told them to find him, and they started with his apartment and saw the disorder.   
  
Also they fed the fish and the cat, and searched around thinking Darien could be hurt or invisible somewhere, but no luck. Claire agreed to take the cat, while Hobbes took the fish.  
  
In retrieving the fish food, Hobbes saw that Darien's beloved plants were all destroyed and told Claire that there was DEFINITELY trouble and that Darien was probably in a lot of danger, maybe even quicksilver mad or DEAD!   
  
Claire, who has FINALLY admitted to herself she loves Fawkes, cried a little and refused to believe the worst. Telling Hobbes that whoever had him probably did hurt him for sure, but she doubted he is mad or dead.   
Convincing Hobbes (and herself) that NOONE else knows about "the invisible man", they left and went back to the Agency and filled The Official and Eberts in.  
  
While Hobbes and The Keeper were at Darien's, poor Darien was staring at the tattoo on his right arm and wondering just how long until he went quicksilver mad.   
  
Knowing it wasn't long, he yelled "Hey Stark!! You better get me some QS antidote or I won't be much good to you as a Corpse!"   
  
Stark, laughing, answered, "Oh, don't worry dear experiment Fawkes, we have you all under control. Everything you do, say or even think is under OUR control, so enjoy your "sanity" while you can. I don't think it will be too long till we get an interesting show from you," and he closed off verbal transmission but continued to observe him.   
  
Mr. Stark must be the coldest most calculating person. He saw a man (who voluntarily went QS mad) freak out so badly he committed suicide by strangling himself and didn't even blink an eye. I wonder if Hitler or Mengele was his father.  
  
Within the hour, Darien began to sense he was going mad and tried to escape by ripping the padding to find the door, with no luck. There were no handles or knobs anywhere-realizing he can't get out that way, he begins to maniacally laugh, but catches himself, still able to know that he is playing right into their hands, but he also has enough sanity left to know he really has no choice, unless..... But, no he says to himself I love America too much. And so, knowing he will soon go over the edge, he becomes invisible, hoping in some way, he may just be able to get out of here, and with nothing else to do just jump in a lake or off a cliff. He is so depressed at this point, he can't think of anyone who would even think to look for him. Not realizing he would materialize in death, he figures I'll really be gone forever without a trace and (in his insanity) feels better. "What a great idea" he yells at the top of his lungs and laughs uncontrollably with tears streaking down his face. "Come get me, Stark I don't want to play this game anymore!!!" And he lies down. Stark hearing (and of course observing him with thermals) smiles, thinking Darien has finally given in, but he is in for a surprise. Sending the team of scientists and henchmen in, Mr. Stark sees the antidote given and orders Darien to rematerialize and laughs as he watches him try. "Keep trying, Fawkes, you will not be able to rematerialize on your own. I told you, YOU are under our complete control." and tells the team to leave. As they leave, the scientist reminds Stark that Darien's mind is still dangerously unwell, just the physical QS madness was controlled, Stark says, Yes, I am well aware. Remember, Dr. THIS IS MY PLAN FROM START TO FINISH!!!! and they leave Darien alone, but still contemplating suicide. In fact, he was almost completely unaware of the conversation between the scientist and Stark. Alone, Darien starts hallucinating and sees Kevin, (his dead brother) and says, "Hey, Kev, you SOB, look at the better person you made of me. I'm invisible for the rest of my wonderful life, stuck in a cell and crazy. And Chrysalis plans to have even more fun with me. Thanks alot, bro." and "Kevin" begins laughing and fading away, which makes Darien even more depressed and he starts crying, although he can't figure out why he is laughing at the same time. "Oh, well, I guess this is what crazy invisible people do, huh?" Still talking to himself, he says, Man, I could go for a burger and fries and a tall Coke. God, my stomach really hurts. Hey, Mr. Stark, PLEASE make my tummy stop hurting, PLEASE-all of a sudden, he feels like a little boy and cries out MOMMY, my tummy hurts please make me feel better and stretches his arms out pleadingly. This, for some strange reason, strikes a cord in Stark (maybe he is thinking of his own son) and he orders the scientist to do something to ease his discomfort, saying, Tell him we ARE only preserving our experimental vessel. Thus convinced he is only doing it for scientific reasons, Stark's true persona is back.  
Feeling better physically, Darien again tries to materialize much to Stark's enjoyment. "Keep trying, Darien, the only way you EVER rematerialize is WHEN I order it. I hate to give away a secret, but I doubt you'll put it to any use, or even remember what I am saying, but to rematerialize you need an antidote. You see, when we gave the QS antidote we also shot you with an experimental QS II our scientists are working on and so far it works well, wouldn't you say? " While listening, Darien realizes he IS rematerializing, but in a WEIRD way, it seems he can see his hands. Stark also sees what is happening and orders the scientist to check him out. By the time the team gets there, Darien is again visible but still not sane. His eyes are still almost completely silver. Stark has Darien bought to him, but being so weak, Darien must be transported in a wheelchair, due to the starvation of at least 3 days. Once in Stark's presence, Darien attempts to attack him, but gets only laughter, as he is too weak to even stand on his own. You're hungry, huh? Well, guess what? You WILL have something to eat very shortly, won't he doctor? " "Oh, yes, Mr. Stark in about 5 minutes, in fact sir. " Taking over the wheelchair, Stark takes Darien to a table, puts a bib on him and says, Buon appetite, son! and laughs, as he locks the chair.  
Darien, sits there, smiling like a kid, not knowing what to expect, only that he will soon be eating something. He is famished and feels like he could eat forever!!! As he sits there, dreaming of good food, a "waiter" comes over with two bowls of thick "soup", which Stark orders Darien to eat, saying "Well, Fawkes, you claim you're so damn hungry, now eat." Not wanting any more hassles, Darien dips the spoon (or tries to) but can't. Finally, getting some of the "stuff" on the spoon, he lifts it to his mouth and before he can even taste it, he drops it on the floor, saying "Yuck, it smells awful." Picking up the spoon, Stark forces it into Darien's mouth, telling him he'd better eat it on his own or they will force it on him, anyway they have to. So Darien starts eating and as he finishes the second bowl, 2 more come and he attempts to force them down, but can only get through half of the first. Stark force-feeds him the 3rd, then the scientist forces an NG tube in his nose and they force-feed him 2 more bowls. As they are re-moving the tube, he starts to vomit, which the scientist forces him to swallow, and they inject him with a drug. While doing this, Darien is screaming in pain, with Stark really enjoying "the show," Stark tells Darien, "Oh, dear boy, the fun is just starting!!!!" to which Darien says, "What do you mean, fun? I'm dying here. Why not just KILL me and end it?" "No, that's way too easy, Darien. I am enjoying this so much more! Take him to his cell." and they transport him to a 6'5"x4' iron cell, toss him in, and tape his mouth shut so he must swallow his  
own vomit and thrust his hands through the bars and handcuff them. Leaving him screaming and crying in anguish, they add to his fear and torment by leaving him completely alone and IN THE DARK!!! At this Darien screams and cries himself unconscious, hitting his head on the bar and sustaining a concussion on top of everything else. Being unconscious, he WILL not realize he is again invisible until he awakens, if he EVER does, this time. Stark tells Dr. Williams to inject "the drug" (actually a slow-acting poison, which while interacting the gland causes pain which intensifies when Darien is invisible) every 2 hours until all of it is given.   
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
  
  
While all these terrible things are happening to Darien, Hobbes is going ballistic trying to find out what happened to his partner, (who is really much more than a partner, to him, although he would NEVER tell Fawkes that). In her lab, Claire is trying every computer program she can to try to come up with some workable solution to this problem, all the while, praying for Darien's safety. It has been almost 4 days now, and she is beginning to wonder if he is alive. She figures he is quite safe from QS madness, as he probably had no reason to go invisible; she puts that fearsome thought out of her head. She knows she never told Darien or anyone, but one of the worst side effects of Stage V is suicide ideation and if the antidote is not given quickly enough, this could be a permanent psychosis. She realizes she MUST let The Official know her fears, even if they are ridiculous. So she goes to see him, and he gets very agitated, saying "Why did you NEVER tell me about this? I can understand not telling Fawkes or Hobbes, but I should have known. I WILL never, again, stop you from giving Darien it. Please Dear God don't let that happen?? " And he plops in the chair, and both Eberts and Claire realize, for the first time just how he REALLY feels about Darien. Claire replies "Sir, it's a very remote possibility, I doubt any one even knows he can go invisible, and he hasn't gone invisible in over 10 days, so I AM sure he is ok, in that respect anyway." And biting her lower lip, she fights back tears. Eberts, coughing, says, "Sir, excuse me, but I do have a frightening thought as to who may have Darien. I hate to say this, but if I am right, THEY are VERY aware of Darien's "special talents" And all three say "CHRYSALIS!!!!" at the same time. With this scary knowledge, The Official leaps into action, calling Hobbes to the office, who runs in saying, "Hey Boss, I bet Chrysalis has Fawkes!" "Yes, Bobby," The Official says,"Eberts just came up with the same idea and we are all in fearful agreement. And knowing what they know about Darien's Special Talents, God only knows what condition the poor boy may be in. Is Alex here? She may have some clue as to where Chrysalis may be holed up?" And so he summons her, but she has no idea, but offers to help in any way she can. She is worried, too, but would never let on, esp. to Hobbes and The Keeper.  
Knowing that Darien will probably need more than a normal counteragent dose, Claire goes back to the lab to prepare at least 4 doses, just in case. She figures she can give them at least 2 hours apart and he should be ok. While doing this, she begins to fear that she may never see Darien again and begins to cry as she works. Realizing she is not alone, she turns around, saying "Oh Darien, I.... Oh, Bobby, I'm sorry, I was..." and Bobby, putting his arms around her, says, "I know Claire, we are all very worried about Darien. And believe me, when he comes back, we'll get him well and then we'll party, OK?" Laughing a bit, Claire hugs him back and says, "Bobby, you are sweet you know. But I just pray we get him back intact, if you know what I mean?" And on that note, she turns back to her work, leaving Hobbes standing there thinking.  
In the morning of day 5, Stark goes to see how Darien is doing and sees he has gone invisible. Donning the thermals, he also sees he is unconscious and has been bleeding for some time, as the blood is clotted and old. Summoning the scientist, he says, "You better get in here-he's injured his head and is out. Please see if he is alive and if so, revive him ASAP." As soon as the scientist arrives, he can see he is alive, but very near physical and circulatory collapse. Telling this to Stark, he suggests, "Mr. Stark, perhaps it would be best if we got him on a stretcher in my lab. I can experiment on him like this as well as care for his health." Stark replies, "Dr. You are SICKER than me, but yes, that is a good idea. You MAY have some fun with him, but REMEMBER I want him alive and fit for the MDDP." "Oh, he will be. He will also be visible, this I promise you."  
The scientist places Darien's stretcher in the middle of the room and proceeds to revive him. Observing how he reacts to waking up invisible, the doctor takes copious notes, although Darien is completely unaware of any of this. He is flailing and screaming, "Help me-I'm invisible again and can't rematerialize and I hurt my head and can't see anything. Please help me." Hearing this, the doctor comes over to Darien and stands right in his line of vision and realizes Darien doesn't see him. Walking over to Darien, he says, "Mr. Fawkes, I'm Dr. Williams and I have the antidote for you to become visible. If you promise to be good, I shall give it to you and then perhaps your vision may return. Do you agree?" Shaking his head in the affirmative, the scientist injects him and almost instantly his sight returns, just prior to his rematerializing. Thanking the "good" doctor, Darien promises to be a good boy, and sounds like a little child. The doctor then fully realizes that Darien's mind may be permanently damaged, and excuses himself for a second. He alerts Stark who acts unconcerned, saying this will probably make him easier to work with for the MDDP. Returning to the lab, the doctor sees that Darien is crying. When questioned, Darien says, "I don't like being tied to this table. I promised I would be good and you still left me here all alone. I'm scared. I want my brother. He never leaves me alone." The doctor undoes the straps and helps Darien to sit up, and apologizes, saying he forgot to undo him when he left, but that now they are going to have some fun. "Don't you know what a special person you are? You were especially chosen to help me in my very important scientific work." And Darien, impressed, replies, "WOW! Will I be involved in experiments?" "Oh, you are the MAJOR reason for the experiments, dear boy." And with that, he helps Darien into a wheelchair, with special wires all over it. He attaches these to Darien's chest, legs, arms, hands, back, chin, cheeks and temples and tells Darien not to move whatever happens. Smiling, Darien says OK. And the next thing poor Darien feels are the weirdest sensations he has ever felt in his life. In the space of seconds, he feels hate, fear, love, passion, birth, death, cold and hot all at the same, yet different times. Then abruptly he feels a sensation of falling and trying to stop himself but unable to, then he is floating and then he is drowning and then he is a newborn baby and then he is an adult again, fully aware of all that has and is happening to and around him. As Dr. Williams unstraps him, Darien attempts to hit the dr. and escape, but has not got the strength. Not knowing why he feels so weak, he keeps trying to get up, which only amuses the scientist. Finally unable to try anymore, he slumps in the w/c, saying, "What have you done to me? Why am I so weak? " The doctor says, "Dear boy, you haven't had any sustenance in 5 days, you've gone QS mad, been beat up and tortured and now I am having MY fun. And you wonder why you are so weak! Believe me, I think you will get even weaker before I am through with you. Just from looking at you, I would say you have lost at least 20-25 lbs-- that's 5 lbs a day. Do you know how many women would love to do that??? And I am sure if I gave you food now, you would not be able to even look at it. Am I right?" And getting no response, he pulls Darien's head back and yells, "Well, AM I?"  
"YES" Darien yells back and the doctor lets his head go which he weakly slumps. "Well, let's just see.' And he goes and gets a tray full of food (soda, milk, burgers, fries, cake and cookies -all stuff Darien loves). He pushes it right under Darien's face and Darien looks up and the dr. can tell he is feeling quite sick. Allowing the smells to really get to Darien, he orders Darien to begin eating. Darien nods his head no, and the dr. says, I was hoping you'd say no. He claps his hands and 2 henchmen come in, grab Darien's arms, while the "Good" dr. force-feeds Darien a hamburger. He then makes him drink a soda, have fries, some milk, more fries, then milk, then cake and the cookies. All in all, he fed Darien at least half the food. Motioning the henchmen away, he observes Darien's reactions and notes them. Darien reacts by becoming violently ill, but is unable to vomit. His stomach feels like it is about to explode and looks like he swallowed a basketball. The doctor records his pulse as 146, his breathing rate as 36, and his blood pressure as 198/140, all dangerously high. He is sweating profusely and suddenly tells the doctor he feels like he can't breathe. Knowing this is a possible heart attack and this is not a good thing, the doctor forces his fingers down Darien's throat causing Darien to vomit profusely for about 6 minutes, increasing Darien's already intense pain. Finally he stops, his stomach even more sore, but back to normal size. His B/P is now 156/110, pulse 158, and breathing is 44, but Dr. Williams is less worried as he knows these are common responses to what Darien's body has just been through. And he is also pleased; he got an experiment in physical medicine he hadn't planned on. Mr. Stark is certainly a brilliant man, he thought to himself. He did pick the Perfect guinea pig for all science in Darien Fawkes.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
It has been 5 days since Darien has disappeared without a trace (no pun intended) and The Agency still has had no word or ransom demands of any kind. This is really becoming increasingly worrisome to The Official, who is NOT used to dealing with situations he can't get on top of. Hobbes has become so nervous he is jumping like a cat on a hot tin roof. Claire hasn't left her lab for more than an hour at a time. She even bought Darien's cat to the lab. And even Eberts, cool calm Eberts is nervous. He tries to claim he is only worried about the gland, but he knows he is not fooling anyone.  
Finally The Official concocts a plan. He calls the LA Daily News and places an ad in the lost and found section reading: LOST: A RARE COPY OF THE INVISIBLE MAN. IF FOUND PLEASE CONTACT ME AT 555-584-1235. CALL ANYTIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT!! IT IS PRICELESS TO ME!!!!! And runs it for 7 days, hoping he will hear by tomorrow. He doubts if Darien would last 7 more days, if he were still alive.  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
  
Day 6. Arriving at the office, Mr. Stark decides to stop by the lab and see how Darien is faring with the 'good' doctor. Going in, he is shocked Darien looks 'so good', and says, "Hey, Bill, I thought you and Darien were going to have some fun. He looks fresh as a daisy. A bit wilted, perhaps, but still better than I expected. It has been 6 days, and we do plan to start the MDDP in less than a week. We need him ready by day 8, at the latest. Do you think he will be?" Bill replies, "Of course, Mr. Stark, I could have him ready today, if need be. The mind altering and invisibility are the easiest parts. He WILL be able to hold it for us, believe me. I've already tested his stomach and he really is a great guinea pig just as you said, sir." "Very good, see you both later then. Have fun, Darien." and he laughs as he leaves, knowing Darien has heard all said.  
At this time, Darien is so depressed, scared and dejected he has just about given up on life and convinced himself he is nothing just as Stark has told him. He now realizes Stark has won, and there is nothing he can do about it. He has also realized that Stark was also right about The Agency. If they did care, then where the hell are they??? Maybe he should help Stark after all. And in his delusional state, he calls the Dr. saying, "Hey Doc, I changed my mind. I think Mr. Stark is right. No one cares about me. Can I get a break now, please?" "I will tell Stark what you said, Darien, but no, no breaks. I am sorry but we are on a schedule, and as you know, you are crucial to it. So now, will you willingly lay on the table or do I have to force you again?" He reluctantly complies, wondering, what now. He soon finds out in a very painful way. The doctor is taking DNA samples from his mouth, nose, ear, abdomen and hair. All without anesthesia. He is told to lie very still and soon feels a wet sensation and becomes acutely embarrassed realizing what has happened. The dr. laughs and says "Don't worry, Darien, I had filled your bladder with that fluid an hour ago, while you were out, and now it just came out. Another experiment down. For your info, that was 1 gallon of distilled water. Most people's bladders can hold only one half that amount for an hour. You are a REMARKABLE specimen, dear boy. I must find out why-your DNA is unremarkable, as is your blood. It MUST be the Quicksilver Gland, be a good lad and turn on your stomach. I know it will hurt, but it will hurt less if You do it willingly. I need a sample of the gland."   
And so Darien, slowly, painfully turns on his stomach, which makes him scream in pain, due to the hardness of the gurney on his tender stomach. The dr. lifts his head up and forces a rubber tube into his mouth. Not knowing what to expect, Darien fears he will now be filled like a balloon until he finally bursts, but he is mistaken. Realizing, with blinding pain, that the dr has entered his skull where the gland is, he realizes what the tube is. It is sucking something out of him. He feels like he is having his whole insides sucked through this tube. So depressed, he hopes this kills him, finally. The dr. looks into the overhead mirror and smiles, for he knows the tube distraction worked. He could not do this if Darien felt anything, so without disobeying Mr. Stark he numbed Darien to this. The tube was doing no more than dragging and redrawing air out of Darien, uncomfortable, yes, but safe. Finally getting enough sample of the gland, the dr. closes Darien and removes the tube, telling Darien, another experiment done. I wanted to test how wide your big mouth opened. Another remarkable achievement. Are you sure you are of this Earth? If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were an alien life form. You may now turn on your back. Would you rather lie there or sit in a wheelchair? This is one of the breaks you were asking for, although not long, it is a break, so please be comfortable for a bit. " Lying there, thinking this over, Darien says, "Ok, I definitely feel better sitting in the chair. My stomach hurts less, I guess because it isn't as stretched there. " And so the dr. assists Darien to the chair, where Darien almost instantly falls into a sleep. "Sleep, Darien, you will need all the strength you can get in a few days."   
Going over to his equipment, he prepares the gland for testing, and makes some remarkable conclusions. It is most definitely the gland, which makes Darien such a great host-it seems to make his body adapt to any situation. But is it the gland itself or the quicksilver secreted? Thinking it must be the quicksilver, and knowing Darien has to be invisible for him to get a sample of it, he awakens Darien. Holding the thermals, he tells Darien he must become invisible for an experiment, Darien refuses saying, "But you said I can't come back if I do." Dr. Williams assures Darien he will antidote him when finished. Reluctantly, Darien agrees and disappears. Donning the thermals, he assists Darien onto the stretcher, again painfully on his stomach and this time, Darien has to endure the skull surgery pain so the quicksilver can be taken out. This is a long slow procedure, as the dr must draw it out 20cc at a time and he desires 100cc, thus poor Darien must endure this pain 5 times. During this procedure, Darien experiences feelings of euphoria, madness, peace and intense fear, all the while unable to deal with any as he is restrained due to the procedure. Finally the doctor has all 100cc and closes Darien again. Assisting Darien to the w/c he injects the antidote and Darien reappears. He again gets a break while the mad scientist does his stuff with the quicksilver.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
  
Dr. Williams discovers, as he suspected, that IT is the Quicksilver, which is making Darien's body so adaptable. It seems to be invading all his cells and taking over, so that even if the gland were successfully removed, Darien would forever have Quicksilver in him. Finding this to be extremely interesting, he takes another sample of Darien's blood and this time screens just for Quicksilver and finds it saturated with it. Realizing how important and dangerous this does make Darien; he calls Mr. Stark with the news. Stark is shocked and asks if this nullifies the MDDP. "I don't think so, sir," Dr. Williams replies, "But it does change the game plan a bit. I think now we MUST always have counteragent on hand, to prevent QS madness. Perhaps I can devise a pump to insert in his head next to the gland to help. Let me work on it and get back to you." And hanging up, the doctor starts drawing up possible scenarios on the computer, each one proving to be painful to Darien. Finally, he reaches a feasible one, although dangerous, but...playing it out on the computer, it looks like he may be able to do it. So preparing a pump and filling it with enough 'counteragent' (in reality, he fills it with the poison-he really is a mad scientist!) and timing it for 5 min. intervals, he makes Darien get back up on the stretcher on his stomach again. As Darien lies there, in pain and crying, the doctor, angrily, says, "Stop the crying, Fawkes, or I GUARANTEE you You will lie in this uncomfortable position longer than you need to." Realizing what the doctor means, Darien forces himself to relax, and the painful procedure begins, again with no anesthesia. Poor Darien can feel every cut, cauterization, and stitch acutely; and being restrained, cannot even yell in pain. His reflexes go weird, he hears words, but doesn't realize he is talking, sees things HE knows are not real and tastes and smells stuff. He feels like he is being punched, tickled and burned all at the same time. He knows he is crying but there are no tears. He tries to move any part of his body and can't but feels like he is walking. All these strange sensations only lead to more confusion and fear for poor Darien. He has reached a point where he may be permanently brain damaged and is aware enough that noone seems to care; in fact they seem happy about it. Finally the pump is installed and seems to work, the doctor assists Darien back to the w/c, where he asks Darien how he feels. Darien tries to answer but finds he cannot seem to control his actions-he feels spastic and sees his body is shaking all over. Seeing the doctor is unconcerned (and figuring to himself, What else is new?) he gets even more scared causing the spasticity to increase and causing him pain.  
Mr. Stark walks in and sees this new development, and says "What now!! We can't use a spas!" "No," replies the scientist, "This is temporary, I put a QS counteragent pump in his head and his body must adjust to it. Give it 1 hour and I am sure he will stop. Right now, it is uncontrolled and he can understand us, but is unable to talk or control any of his body actions. If after an hour, he is still spastic, I will give him another med I'm working on now. Don't worry, our guinea pig will be ok." Mr. Stark reminds the doctor that tomorrow is day 8 and the day the MDDP starts. The dr. says, "Don't worry. All is prepared." As he leaves, Stark takes one last look at Darien and shakes his head and says, "Darien, if only you had willingly assisted Chrysalis, NONE of this would be happening now, that I can promise you." And he leaves, with Darien staring at him and crying; because he knows he is right. And in this spastic state, his mind is surprisingly clear. Did Stark say this is DAY 7? Then today is Sunday-the Lord's Day. How can they do this to him-don't they ever rest? He now understands why he is so weak and tired-he hasn't had anything "healthy" in over 5 days. God damn that gland!! He now completely understands what Williams meant about the gland and Quicksilver. He felt like he NEVER hated Kevin so much as now. Oh, Kevin just wait till I see you in Hell, brother, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS BIG TIME, I PROMISE YOU! And I think that day is coming very soon My friend.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
  
Meanwhile, at the agency, The Official feels like he has lost a son. There has been no reply to his lost and found ad. He decides to try a computer one. Not being computer savvy, he calls Eberts in who agrees this is a good idea. He places an Internet message reading: LOST: A RARE COPY OF THE INVISIBLE MAN. VERY SENTIMENTAL REASONS I NEED IT BACK. A REWARD IS PROMISED!!! IF FOUND PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT WHITEOUT WARRIOR@TA.COM DAY OR NIGHT!!! IT IS PRICELESS TO ME!!!! The Official gawks at the reward part, but Eberts reminds him that is the draw. "You know, only the bad guys will respond sir. It is kind of cryptic and only someone who understands will truly respond. I'll be screening the responses and let you know." And so Eberts goes to his office and sets up his computer ONLY to that message and waits for an answer. He prays to himself, "Please answer and let him be ok. He has always been honest with me-the only one who is."  
While Eberts and The Official man the phones and computer, Hobbes decides to go out in the field to see if he can find Chrysalis on his own. Going to the old haunts, he finds no clues, but soon realizes he has company. Thinking it may be the bad guys; he keeps them in sight, figuring maybe they just might lead him to Darien. But, at a red light, the black car tailing him pulls up beside him and turns out to be Alex. They pull over and decide to work together. For once, Hobbes realizes his van may be a bit too conspicuous, he agrees to ride with Alex, on the condition, that he gets to drive once in a while. Reluctantly agreeing, they hide the van and work out a possible plan of action. They both agree that someone should know where they are, they call Claire and tell her-she agrees, saying, "Please find him and bring him right to me no matter what condition he is in. Ok?" "Ok, Claire, we will. But please, be prepared with counteragent and whatever other safety measures necessary."  
Alex remembers a place in the country, near that camp of theirs, that just may have some clues. It is a remote cabin that she doubts will be occupied but you never know what they may have forgotten. And so they drive there, and it is empty, except for a dead body. The smell is dreadful and the body so decomposed, it must have been there for days. They contact Claire who sends out people to get it. She says, "Are you sure it isn't Darien?" Bobby answers, "I'm positive-first of all it is a black person, I think and much shorter than Fawkes. Thank God!! I still refuse to believe he is dead. You convinced me of that, remember Claire?" "Yes, Bobby," Claire replied, "But at times I lose hope. I'm sorry-I'll try not to."  
Meanwhile, Eberts receives an e-mail, which may be too good to be true. It is from someone named butterfly who says they know where The Invisible Man is and for 1million dollars will tell all. Knowing that the agency cannot possibly afford to pay it, Eberts attempts to glean a clue from butterfly by demanding more info. Butterfly e-mails back saying MY INVISIBLE MAN IS TALL AND VERY SCARED. I DON'T THINK HE IS A HAPPY CAMPER RIGHT NOW. OH, CRAP GOTTA RUN. ENOUGH? and with that abruptly closes transmission. Realizing this is REAL he goes to The Official who looks at the computer and yells, "YES, we'll get him back. Good work, Albert. Is there a way to trace this?" "I'm working on it now, sir, but tracing an e-mail takes a bit more work than a phone call. Unless...." "Unless, what Eberts, unless, what!??" "Unless, there are headers. Let me see. Yes, yes, there are sir. IT DOES SAY CHRYSALIS, sir!! But not where, I am sorry to say." "Get Claire up here, maybe she can figure something out. I think our boy is alive, don't you, Eberts?" "Yes, sir, I do", and with that he summons Claire, who speeds up to the office when she hears. Keeping Eberts' computer free, she grabs a laptop and begins replaying the messages to see what she can do. She is able to read computerese so she tries but there doesn't seem to be any locations mentioned, but there are names. Stark is certainly involved as is a Dr. Williams, as well as something with the initials MDDP and something else called the perfect guinea pig, at which she stops and gasps. "Sir, they have definitely got Darien!!! And they are experimenting on him! We HAVE to get him. Oh, my poor Darien. What have we done to you?" And she starts crying and shaking, hating herself for what she has put Darien through and feeling very guilty. The Official, awkwardly, goes to console Claire, while telling Eberts to e-mail butterfly back and pretend to agree to pay the ransom, but not without guaranteed safe return of Darien. And so Eberts e-mails this and waits for an answer. They are all still waiting after 2 hours. He has attempted to e-mail many times, including emergency and i-mails with no luck. Knowing Darien has been gone 7 days; they are all extremely concerned for his physical health, as well as the gland. Claire still does not know about the Quicksilver infiltration into Darien's bloodstream. (But is this a natural occurrence or one due to what has happened to his body in the last 7 days?)   
  
  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
Darien can feel the spasticity wear off, but his mind is again getting unhinged. Praying for the spasticity to continue so that his mind stays clear, Darien tries to physically keep shaking, but without success. All of a sudden, the doctor is next to him and says, "I see, you are back. Can you talk now?" Darien answers, trying to sound normal, but again like a child, "Yes, I am. But I feel funny in my head. It doesn't actually hurt it seems to be all mixed up and I feel a pulsing in the back of my head and it feels funny." Knowing in his heart, he is again QS insane, Darien feels like he has sold his soul to the devil. Dr. Williams tells Darien NEVER to scratch the back of his head or he will DIE. To Darien, it seems like he can't do anything without the fear of dying from it. He agrees, more from habit, than fear, at this point. Again, the doctor says, "Well, Darien, you had a nice break. Ready to get back to work. We only have 1 more big experiment and then you will get a long rest, because YOU have a big day tomorrow, dear boy. Now onto the stretcher, but on your left side this time. OK?" And Darien gets on the stretcher, on his left side, and all of a sudden feels a warm sensation in his stomach and looks on in amazement as his stomach blows up like a balloon to at least 3 times its normal size. Being so amazed, he doesn't realize he has screamed himself hoarse, until he tries to take a breath in and can't. The Doctor then forces him on to his back, where he sees firsthand how bloated his stomach is. He is then forced to sit up, which he cannot do alone, and when he is finally sitting he sees his stomach did not blow up but came with him. Then he is assisted to stand and finds he can't without almost falling forward, to which the doctor again tells him you better not fall or YOU will blow up. Darien, finally, able to breathe, says, "What have you done to me now? How come my stomach looks like this?" "Oh, I see, you are now aware; I knew the medicine would work. You must stay like that until Mr. Stark sees you. This is in preparation for your big day tomorrow, Guinea Pig, so don't worry. Now you 2 (to the henchmen) hold him up while I summon Stark. And so Stark comes into the room and claps his hands gleefully and laughs when he sees Darien. He comes over to him and proceeds to pat his stomach, which only causes Darien intolerable pain, but makes Stark only do it more. Finally unable to stand it, Darien pleads, "PLEASE STOP!! YOU ARE KILLING ME!!! I can't take the pain, please Mr. Stark STOP." And Darien, trying not to, starts to cry. Stark finally stops and says to the doctor, "I want to see him sit in a chair by himself and get up by himself and walk. " And so the henchmen assist him to walk, but when they let go he almost falls. Stark says to the doctor he must have strength and be able to do for himself before we can begin MDDP, or else. The doctor injects Darien with 2 needles and all of a sudden Darien is able to walk alone and feels stronger. He attempts to attack Stark, but finds that his reflexes are slowed to the point where Stark is not even afraid. He just laughs and tells Darien, "Don't even try. Would you like to be invisible in this condition? Remember, only when we antidote you can you materialize." "You may hold rematerialization over me, but you can't force me to go invisible." "Oh, we can't, huh? Please give Darien a demonstration-make him invisible without even touching him, Bill." And with that, Bill touches a button on the computer and Darien feels tingly and goes invisible, but is in so much pain, he screams in agony. Within seconds, he is again visible, but still in agony. "What have you done to me? How are you controlling it? Why the hell don't you just kill me and get it over with?" "Oh, no, Darien, not until we are done with the perfect guinea pig. " And with that Stark leaves, saying, "Bill, please drain the container and put it away until we have further need of it. Bye, container, see you later." And Darien realizes, he is no longer Human in their eyes.   
  
  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
  
Sunday evening, when most people are at home, relaxing preparing for a new workweek, everyone at The Agency was hard at work trying to find Darien Fawkes. The Official still cannot believe how much he cares for Darien. God, when the kid first came here, cocksure and all, I never thought he would fit in, but now even without his special talent, I could not do without him. Come on, Butterfly, please contact us. All of a sudden, Eberts calls, "Sir, please come here, we are getting a transmission of some sort." As they watch Eberts' screen, they see a weird looking balloon come on the screen, with Darien's head above it crying. Claire gasps, realizing the truth. "Sir, that IS NOT a balloon, that's Darien's stomach they have blown up. OH, MY GOD, I think they did KILL him." And she finally completely breaks down and cries. But Eberts is too immersed in the computer and good thing, as under this weird scene, butterfly has written, Is this your INVISIBLE MAN? If so, he is about to be released but not free. Here is a riddle for you-what's white and round and hurts alot? Here is a clue for you-South of the Border is always nice at this time, don't you think. I always hated Mondays. They are always BIG days. and the transmission ends. Eberts then says, "Claire, Darien is alive, but I don't know for how much longer. Sir, I think they have some kind of mission for him to do in Mexico, starting tomorrow. And I think it has something to do with his holding it in his stomach. Do you think they are using him as a Drug Drop, sir? You know, those little bags filled with Coke and then swallowed, to prevent airport or immigration detection?" "Yes, Albert, I bet you are right. Ok, we've got a lead. Eberts, get to all the immigration checkpoints and airports in the area to Mexico, to keep an eye out, ok. I'm sure that they will make Darien go invisible, but still there may be a way. Claire, can we supply them with some kind of detection for Darien? " "Only if they have infrared or some other black lite source, sir. Do you really think we can get Darien before they kill him?"   
Meanwhile, Darien has been "prepared for the BIG DAY". He is lying on a stretcher, strapped at his chest, feet and arms and very uncomfortable. He has had his stomach decompressed by a machine which pressed him from back and front, pushing all the air out of him, and now has a stomach tube, not for ingestion, but for pulling the excess air from his stomach. They have done a "temporary" tracheotomy on him and this is breathing for him. Of course, this was all done without anesthesia, so not only did he feel intense pain, but also he observed it all first hand!!!! Now, lying here thinking he is nothing but a vegetable for sure, he has really fallen into a depression. Finally falling asleep, he dreams he is with his parents and Kevin and everything is wonderful.  
  
  
CHAPTER NINE  
  
  
Monday morning comes bright and shiny, rudely waking Darien up. He seems to be in a brightly lit room somewhere but can't move...thinking, "Man, I'm in a hospital! I must have had an accident." And he tries to call for help, but finds he can't talk or breathe normally, but sees there is a tube in his throat. "Oh my God, I'm paralyzed" and he tries to go invisible, and surprisingly he does, but still in the same predicament, but now in agonizing pain, so he tries to rematerialize and can't. Hearing laughter behind him, he tries to look behind him but can't. A man in a white coat comes into his line of vision, wearing thermals, and everything comes to Darien in a flash. He closes his eyes and sighs silently to himself, remembering that today is the BIG DAY for whatever they have planned for me--although he doubts anything could possibly be worse than the past 7 days. Dr. Williams, smiling, says, "That was dumb to do, Darien. Now I have to waste time rematerializing you. Oh, I guess you are beginning to enjoy pain." And he jabs the needle home. As he rematerializes, he realizes the doctor is getting ready to do something to him. Trying to steal himself to whatever pain is coming, he clenches his fists. He watches the doctor undo the tape around his throat and prepares for whatever comes next, but is not ready when the tube is torn out of his larynx, causing respiratory arrest. Resuscitating Darien, the dr. then prepares to remove the GT, not giving Darien a chance to rest between traumas. While removing the GT, Bill says, "Sorry I am working so fast, but we are on a schedule and you must be prepared for your trip. Oh, and by the way, just breathe normally, and within a few minutes you will probably be able to talk, although only in a whisper at first." The tubes now removed, Dr. Williams notified Stark that Darien was ready for the instructions. Stark entered, with a woman in a white lab coat, who began talking very soothingly to Darien. After what felt like seconds, she turned toward Stark and said, OK, he's all set. Just tell him what to do." Smiling inanely, Darien whispered, "Thanks for the kind words-you're pretty." "That's ok, Darien" and she smiles at him and leaves very quickly. Stark and the scientist unstrap Darien and assist him to sit up, and get in a wheelchair. "I know you feel weak, but are you able to eat some breakfast for us this morning, Darien? I promise it is only toast and tea, no tricks now." He looks, shocked, up at Stark and says, "Surprisingly I think I could, although my throat is sore." And he starts eating, surprised he is keeping it down, after all he has been through. (But somewhere deep inside him, he knows there must be more to come. This nightmare is not over yet.)  
After Darien has eaten breakfast, two "orderlies" assist him in taking a shower, shaving and brushing his teeth. He is also permitted the "luxury" of having bathroom privileges for the morning. After a lunch of soup, salad, sandwich and soda, he is again permitted bathroom rights and to brush his teeth. At 2 pm, Stark retrieves him and walks with him to a big empty room. Darien is now strong enough to walk, but still feels very, very weak. Stark orders him to step on a scale and he sees that the scientist was right-he now weighed 118-he had weighed 145 8 days ago. It felt like a lifetime ago. Stark, noticing Darien's dismay at the weight loss, says, "Don't worry, Fawkes, you will soon weigh a bit more than that, believe me." And he laughs as he leads Darien into a room filled with only one steel chair with no arms on which he is forced to sit. Stark kneels in front of him, saying, "Now Darien, my friend listen closely to what I am saying. You are going on a VERY important assignment for The US government to Mexico. You will have 2 people to help you. YOU MUST GO DOWN VISIBLE AND COME BACK INVISIBLE. This is vital. No matter what anyone else says or does, you must not go invisible until you are ready to come home. You do recall that once invisible you need a shot to rematerialize, don't you?" Darien shakes his head yes. "Ok, then, that's why you can't go invisible until you are really ready to come back home. You will be driven back and forth. You will be leaving at 6pm this evening and should be back here by 6pm tomorrow evening. And then the second part of your mission will start when you get back. Do you understand? Oh, another very IMPORTANT thing-PLEASE do not eat, drink or go to the bathroom after you accomplish your mission. When you do, you will understand what I mean. I can promise you this, if you do you could possibly die from it." And Darien, although, scared, says," As long as it is for America I will do it. If you want, I'll stop eating and drinking now." "No, Darien, there is time. The president wants you to know, he appreciates your help." "Wow, the president mentioned me, really??" "Well, by your code name of I-MAN naturally, but yes he did."   
  
  
CHAPTER TEN  
  
  
Monday at the agency, Claire is still trying to figure out a way to find Darien once he's gone invisible. She wishes the agency had access to more than 2 sets of thermals. Hobbes will definitely be getting a pair.   
All of a sudden, Eberts' computer e-mail alerts. She jumps and Eberts wakes up. It is from Butterfly and Claire sees it is only 4am-THE I-MAN IS TO BE RELEASED. VERY CONSPICUOUSLY AT FIRST! DON'T BLOW HARD!! -and the transmission ends. "Why always so damned cryptic?" Claire yells. "What the hell does she mean don't blow hard? At what or who?" I don't think he will be invisible going, but coming back, don't you agree, Eberts?" "Yes, I do." And they go see The Official, who to noone's surprise is wide-awake. He agrees with Claire, telling her he is afraid, they may mean that Darien is very weak and a strong wind could blow him over. He also tells her that she will be accompanying Hobbes and thus will have the other set of thermals. So she goes to her lab and prepares everything, including an injection of MVI as well as 2 first aid kits and her own personal gun. Lifting her picture of Darien, she kisses it, saying, "Darien, if you are in Stage V and beyond help, I will PERSONALLY be the one to give you the peace you deserve. I pray I am wrong, but just in case, I am ready. I will always love you." And as she, tearfully, turns around, she sees Bobby and realizes he heard the whole thing. "Oh, Bobby, I am sorry." And he comes to her saying, "Hey, Keep, I always knew you two should be together. And we'll save him, you'll see. I love the big guy, too, but don't ever tell him. OK?"  
Bobby and Claire work out a map and decide to drive to the Baja, Mexico border, as that is one of the worse drug areas in the world. They will retrieve their passports and go as a couple looking for some fun. They both agree Claire will do most of the talking, as she is fluent. As it is still only 5am, they both try to get some sleep, Claire in Eberts' office and Hobbes on Darien's stretcher in the lab. They will be leaving for Mexico at 2pm figuring they might get there before Darien.   
While asleep, Bobby dreams he sees Darien but he looks like a walking skeleton with a basketball in his stomach. And the strangest thing is Darien is invisible but can't reappear and Darien is crying. Waking up abruptly, he yells "Darien!!" Realizing where he is, he has a strange feeling Darien appeared to him for help.   
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
  
While Darien is being "recruited" by Stark at 2pm, Claire and Bobby are preparing for their Mexican trip. Unaware that Darien is less than 3 miles away; they drive right past the house where Stark is keeping him. Bobby is driving a van, but a new one, so even if Darien saw it, he would not know.  
Darien and Stark have a nice dinner of steak and potatoes at 4:30pm-a nice American dinner. At 5:30 pm, Darien is ready to go on his adventure. "One last warning, Darien, no disappearing until tomorrow at 6pm, right?" "Right, Mr. Stark. And no eating or drinking or anything after I accomplish the mission." And at 6pm exactly, they hear a car honk, and Mr. Stark escorts Darien to his ride. Darien is all smiles and feels downright proud to be an American right now. He is told to sit in the back seat and when told to, to lie down and hide, as there are people who don't want to see you succeed in this very important mission, to which he agrees.  
Upon arrival in San Diego, he is told to lie down as ordered until told to get up. He does so. 20 cramped minutes later, he is told OK you can get up now. He sees they are still in California, but near Baja. It is now 8:30pm. They must be close now; it only takes 3 hours to get to Mexico this way. At 9, he is again ordered to hide and does so for another half hour. When he gets up, they are parking the car in front of a beautiful hacienda somewhere in Mexico. When he asks where they are, he is told don't worry. You have enough to think about. They escort him inside and are greeted with smiles, at least the 2 henchmen are. Poor Darien is greeted to a needle stuck in his carotid artery and passing out. His last conscious thoughts are "Here we go again!"   
Again finding himself strapped to a table in a lab, he now realizes he has been duped. Stark did it again, he says to himself, I'm a lab rat again. And as he is lying there, the tech comes in and starts preparing specimens and needles, etc. Darien attempts conversation in Spanish, and she runs out. Realizing she got frightened, he says, "Oh no, I'm in for more trouble now." Sure enough, a dr. walks in and tells him in Spanish, "Do not talk to anyone, senor, they are not permitted to speak to the experiments." And he walks out. With that said to him, all the feelings that had been hidden come back unbidden and with a vengeance.  
Food and drink are again withheld from Darien, in preparation. He wonders how long he has lain on this stretcher. He is so stiff and sore it must be hours. Finally a lab worker comes in and starts preparations. He grabs Darien's head and forces his mouth open, putting a tube of some sort in, and secures it with tape. After this, he hears someone say, si, and they plant something into him through the tube. He can feel, excruciatingly, his stomach expand and feel his bladder increase until the tube is mercifully removed. He tries to close his mouth, but can't due to some obstruction in it. The lab tech proceeds to clamp his mouth closed and hold his head and chin so he can't open his mouth.  
In this position, he can see firsthand that his stomach is again more than 3 times its normal size. The pain is so bad, he is crying and the lab techs are laughing at him.  
Darien has no way of knowing that he has just ingested 20-25 little baggies filled with a combo of liquid invisible ingestion drug and cocaine to be delivered to Chrysalis. The only thing he does know is, he HAS to figure some way of escaping from these mad men. He does remember he can't eat or drink or go to the bathroom, even though he doesn't know why. But he promises himself he won't (but deep down he says hey, at least it'd be over!). He also knows he will go invisible, but after the escape, even if permanent, Claire has thermals and will figure something out. Then he feels a needle, and falls asleep. While asleep, they render him invisible, causing him to fall asleep to excruciating pain, again. Realizing he is invisible, and unable to rematerialize he becomes dejected, unable to dream of anything but the pain for a while.   
When Darien wakes up, he realizes he is still invisible, but trussed up like a piece of meat and being banged about. At least he is upright, but his feet are tied too. And with each bump and bang, poor Darien's pain is increased 100fold. Completely unaware of time, Darien doesn't realize it has been more than 2 days. Stark had decided to allow the drug combo to get absorbed by Darien for a bit, just to see what happens, although Darien is unaware of this. But as the self-dissolving bags dissolve he is feeling the affects of the coke, making him feel very happy and invincible; as well as the liquid invisibility drug which is overdosing him. After about 7-8 bags are dissolved, he finds he is able to break free, which he does. At the next stop, he escapes when the drivers go for a drink. Realizing he is near LA, he knows he needs to get to the Agency and Claire.  
  
  
CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
  
Claire and Bobby, having had no luck in Mexico, are told by The Official to come back home. Telling them, dejectedly, "It has been over 24 hrs. We either missed him or he went somewhere else, or..." And he trails off, and disconnects. So they both drive home sadly, not realizing that when they get there, they will be "seeing" Darien again.  
Finally catching a ride (albeit invisibly) he arrives at the agency and sees it is early Wednesday morning (About 2am). Thinking to himself, MY God I've been gone10 days and none of these SOB's even cared. Damn them, and he starts to leave, when he hears Bobby and Claire both yelling-"DARIEN-HEY DARIEN-over here in the green van." And he starts to run toward them, but becomes ill and falls on the ground in a seizure. Claire jumps out of the van, realizing he is entering Stage II of QS Madness. "Quick, Bobby, give me a vial of counteragent." And she injects him with it, which calms him down, but he remains invisible. Bobby asks, "Why hasn't he materialized?" Claire shrugs her shoulders and she and Bobby assist him to the lab. Claire tells Bobby and Ebertsto restrain Darien to prevent him from harming himself or anyone. Claire feels Darien has probably been through so much that he is beyond QS II at this point. She then retrieves the thermals from Eberts and prepares to take a blood sample from Darien to see why he has not materialized. She also examines his abdomen, hears no bowel sounds and becomes worried. She tells Eberts that they need a real doctor to see Darien, as she is afraid he is VERY sick, but we MUST make him visible first. Not only because of the doctor, but I'm afraid he will die or go crazy if he stays invisible. Claire is also very worried about his stomach and what is wrong with it. Eberts proceeds to the tell The Official what is going on.   
Finally Darien wakes up and realizes he is again a prisoner and begins yelling. When he sees Claire he cries,"Damn, I 'm dreaming again. Stark, what are you gonna do to me now? What more CAN you do?" and with that he laughs maniacally.  
"No, Darien," Claire says, grasping his hand, "It's me, Claire. You're home. But please become visible-we want to make you well, but you must materialize first." Really seeing her this time, he smiles, and says, "Oh, Claire Thank God it's over!!" and he tries to rematerialize and can't. "Claire! I can't! What is wrong? I know Stark did something to me, but I can't remember what. Oh, my God, my stomach feels like it is exploding! HELP! " And as Claire watches, Darien's stomach does indeed grow abit, but this time, Darien is able to turn his head and vomit. As Claire assists him, she realizes that not only is he bleeding, but quicksilver is escaping as well. No wonder he's so sick, she realizes, I bet they filled his stomach with liquid quicksilver. And leaving Darien for a few minutes, she goes to the microscope, and sure enough she is right, but is shocked to see traces of cocaine also. "Oh my poor Darien," she thinks. Seeing he is quiet, she checks and to her relief he is just asleep. Asking Bobby to stay with him, she goes to see The Official with an idea.   
Filling The Official in, she then tells him her idea. "Listen, I can make a bunch of synthetic cocaine up, then we can make a deal with Chrysalis for an antidote for Darien. All we have to do is lie and tell them we harvested it from Darien. I'm sure by now they know we have Darien back, so why not give it a try. We have to get him visible or he'll die. " The Official agrees and orders Eberts to contact Stark and attempt a trade, within 12 hours. "Is this acceptable Claire?" She nods and races to the lab to begin synthesizing the Coke. She figures poor Darien must have at least 2-3 blocks in his body, so she proceeds to make that many blocks. While doing this, Darien awakens and weakly calls her name. She runs over to him and realizes how ill he really is. She holds his hand, knowing the synthesis is going well, but will Darien be able to hold on for another 6-8 hours??   
Making a conscience decision, she says, "Darien, you have to hang in there. I'm sure you know how bad you are" and he weakly nods. "But, Darien, HANG IN THERE! If not for yourself, then for me. You must know how I really feel about you deep in your heart. And not only since that mad romp either, I fell in love with as soon as we met. Why do you think I used to keep my distance-professional ethics and all that crap. Damn them, I LOVE YOU, DARIEN FAWKES!! So don't die on me, do you hear me?" And she looks at him and he is crying. When she asks why, he replies, "Don't you know I have always had a thing for you? But I could never get close, not with this damn gland. Look what happened to Allianora, she died. And almost any one else I've ever been close to, gland or no gland has died. I'm not worth the trouble, Claire, please just let me go. I'm tired in more ways than just living. What I went through these past days was worse than hell." And he turns his head, and she sees he is crying. "Look, Darien, there's your cat. Do it for her then, she missed you. The Official is in negotiations with Stark right now to get the antidote they must have used. If as you say, they were able to make you visible and invisible at will, they MUST have an antidote!!" "Yes, Claire, they do, but I also think they did something to me or filled me with something that will prevent the antidote from working. But I don't know what. I know Stark told me, but I am so confused and screwed up, I can't remember anything. And right now, all I am concentrating on is the pain, believe me."  
As they are talking, The Official comes in, saying, "Welcome back, my boy. We will soon have you fixed up! Oh, Claire come here a moment please. I have something to tell you." And she motions him to come and tell them both, as Darien is aware of it. So The Official says, "Ok, here goes. Stark claims there is plenty of antidote but that it won't do any good as Darien has absorbed so much liquid invisible product and his blood is now saturated with quicksilver, that he doubts Darien will ever materialize, even in death. But he is willing to trade his entire antidote for our coke, even though he knows it is synthetic. I'm sorry, my boy, but it is better you know." "NO," yells Claire, "I refuse to believe there is nothing to do. Get me that damn antidote and I will rematerialize Darien and make him well." "I knew you'd say that Claire. Bobby and Alex are already on their way." And Claire realizes that Bobby and the coke are gone and she smiles.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
  
Arriving at the appointed spot, Bobby and Alex reconnoiter and find no surprises. Alex says, "Well, at least Stark is a man of his word. He promised no surprises." As she says that a black Lincoln pulls up and Stark walks up to them, saying, "Good to see you. Seems we have a trade to do. Is Darien still alive?" Bobby says, "Yes, he is and you will be sorry you ever hurt him. I will get my revenge on you one of these days, this I promise!!" And walking away, taking the blocks of coke, and tossing the bag of antidote in the air, Stark leaves, laughing. Alex catches the bag and they run to the van. "Hurry, Hobbes, we have to get this to Darien like yesterday."  
They get to the agency and Alex runs to the lab and hands the antidote to Claire, who immediately opens it to find 1 prepared syringe and 5 10cc vials with a note. Claire, Give this injection to Darien now and then 5 cc. every 2 hours. He also has a pump I inserted near the gland preventing true QS stage V, but I fear he may need quite a bit of psychiatric help if he survives. He has been filled with an experimental QSII invisibility solution and his bloodstream has become saturated with quicksilver, whether due to natural secretions or not, I do not know. Please apologize to him for me-I really have no choice-you see they have my family and if I don't comply they will kill them. Tell whiteout warrior butterfly says hi. And with that knowledge, she injects Darien telling him he will soon be visible. Darien smiles, sleepily at her and she kisses him as he falls asleep, finally, it seems, without pain.  
Leaving him sleeping, she runs up to the office, and shares the good news with Eberts and The Official. "Sir, now that I know what I am dealing with, I am sure I can help him. I will need an assistant though, sir, and a medical one would be great?!" He looks hard at her and then laughs, "Ok Claire" smiling for the first time in days, "Whatever it takes to get Darien well, ok? I'll have some one here in a few hours-ok?" "Thanks, sir, I'll be in the lab." Leaving, she goes to Hobbes and Alex and fills them in, telling Hobbes, "Maybe we can party!!!"  
As she concludes, she tells The Official and Eberts that hopefully Darien should be visible in about 6 hours by 7pm. It is now 1 pm on Friday-the twelfth day of Darien's ordeal. Claire just prays Darien can hold out a day or two longer. She doubts that just being visible would lessen his discomfort. They MUST find some safe, painless way of draining his body cavities. AND she doesn't think he is a healthy risk for anesthesia. She wonders how much more pain Darien will be able to endure. Knowing she would NEVER be able to, her respect for Darien increases, as well as her love.  
Meanwhile, Stark is conferring with Dr. Williams, unaware he is "butterfly" although a twisted one. As much as he enjoyed helping Claire, he enjoyed "having fun" with Darien even more and misses it. But he knows he can still control Darien and he informs Stark of this by saying, "Don't worry, sir, even if his people do get him visible, I will know. I implanted the transmitter in him just as I told you. It is in the pump in the gland and all I have to do is turn it on. Darien will get an intense headache, but we will know all he does, says and sees."   
And with that said, he turns a knob and observes Darien jolting up, grabbing his head and screaming. Within seconds, Claire is by his side, with her thermals on, trying to soothe and quiet him down! "What is it, Darien? Do you have pain? Where??" And she pats his stomach, thinking it may be his stomach, which only causes him more anguish and he cries, unable to tolerate it. He finally passes out, and Claire eases him down on the pillow, where he continues to toss his head back and forth and moan, even while unconscious. She summons The Official, to whom she gives thermals and he is shocked at the condition Darien is in. Removing the thermals, Claire sees he has tears in his eyes-"How much has he been through? My God, how much more can he take, Claire?" "I don't know sir, but we MUST get him visible. This is his third injection and I hope something happens soon." And she gives him the injection and smiles when she begins to see the outline of his hand. Motioning for The Official, they are both present for Darien's rematerialization. Thank God, because as soon as he becomes visible, he begins to seize. This lasts for about 2 minutes and then he becomes spastic and moans in pain even more. He finally regains consciousness but is still spastic and in intense pain, despite the Demerol given IV by Claire. The medical doctor finally arrives and immediately demands that an NG tube be inserted, to begin draining Darien's body slowly. He does this, and Darien, expecting nothing but pain, is shocked when the insertion is gently done without any pain at all. Noting his shocked expression, the doctor says, "Mr. Fawkes, I've top level clearance and am aware of your situation. I REFUSE to cause you any more unnecessary pain and apologize for any I do cause you. I will also tell you whatever I do, ok?" Darien jerkily shakes his head, yes, and tries to smile. "Ok, then, I am going to give you an injection to stop the spasms-it will probably burn and hurt, but only for a second and within seconds, your body should stop. I am doing it now." And Darien gasps at how much it does burn, but is shocked at how fast it stopped and yes, he is no longer as shaky and within a minute, he can even talk. "Please stop my head from hurting. Right now, that is the WORSE of my pains. PLEASE!!! I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO EXPLODE." And when the doctor asks exactly where, he points to his occiput, causing the doctor and Claire to exchange agonized glances. As gently as possible, they explain to Darien that in order to help his head, he would have to lie on his stomach and it would be better ` his stomach were drained first, Darien says, "No, my head, then my stomach. What's one more minute or hour, my head just started. Please figure out some way PLEASE Claire?!!!!" And he begins to whimper like a child. Claire becomes so distraught that she has to walk away. She sees Darien's cat lying there; just staring woefully at Darien and picks her up, crying. Hearing Darien call to her, she can't let him see her so upset, she says, "Darien, PLEASE give me a few minutes to work out a plan, ok!!!" And he, confused and scared, says   
(crestfallen), "ok."  
  
  
CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
  
  
While Claire is trying to decide what to do, the doctor comes over and introduces himself. "Claire, my name is Mike, ok. Maybe we can both figure out some way to help Darien get some relief. Do you have any of the Circulatron beds around or can we get one? They have some with a hole in the middle and that would be perfect. We would probably need to widen it a bit, but then we could turn him on his stomach ourselves, saving him from any activity at all. In fact, I think we SHOULD utilize one for him until he is well. What do you think?" And smilingly, she says, "Yes, Mike. What a fantastic idea!!! I think we may have one in the back. Darien, we will be right back with something to help you feel better."   
And so returning with the bed, Mike tells Claire to call for help. While she is doing that, Mike goes to Darien to tell him their plan. "Listen, Darien. We want to transfer you to a special bed where your stomach will go through a hole and we'll be able to flip you on your back. Do you think you would be able to lift yourself and scoot over to that bed, there? It is a bit higher than the stretcher. We are getting some help, but do you think you can help us?" Darien, looking over at the other (weird looking bed) says, "Hey, Claire, is this nut for real or am I in for some more "fun"?" Claire comes over, and says "Darien? What do mean, more fun?" He answers, angrily, "You know, torture!!!" "NO!! Darien, that's a special bed hospitals use for burn patients or paralyzed people, that's all. REALLY. Don't you recall-that's the type your brother used to implant the gland in you?" Anwering her, "Yeah and it is also the type Stark had me on, too. So what IS going to happen now??" Claire, getting very upset, says, "Darien, please believe me, I won't let anyone harm you. We will be able to care for you much better on it. Don't you want to get well?" And while they are talking, all of a sudden, Darien screams in pain and grabs his head, yelling, "Oh, my God, my head!! Make it stop hurting, PLEASE!!!!"   
While this is happening, Hobbes and Eberts come in Mike tells them they have to help transfer Darien from the stretcher to the bed, and that Darien is in no condition to help. Mike says, "As you can see, he is in agony and the only relief will be to relieve some of the pressure from the back of his head. Darien now weighs more than double his body weight due to whatever they injected him with, so he is heavy. Claire, do you think you will be able to help, too? I think the four of us should be ok." And so they agree, and go to Darien, who is writhing in pain and appears oblivious to his surroundings. He seems to be talking to someone, but is very angry. Mike, trying to get through to him, says, "Ok, Darien, now just try to relax and help us lift you to the bed. Ok, 1,2,3, lift," and they lift and attempt to shift him over, but he fights, yelling, "NO you are trying to kill me!!!" and starts hitting all of them. Seeing he is in QS madness, Claire gives him a shot of counteragent and while out, they quickly shift him over. By the time, Darien is "back" he is in the bed, and feeling better. Looking into the overhead mirror, he sees Hobbes, Eberts, Claire and the doctor looking at him and he smiles. "Thanks, guys. I really do feel better this way." And they all looked relieved hearing the old Darien. Hobbes, leaving, says, "Welcome home, partner. Stay for a while ok?"  
They then do a skull x-ray, but get no results-something is DEFINITELY wrong. They don't even see bone structure. Something has nullified the x-ray. Mike examines Darien and feels a weird growth in the occipital area, which Claire says was NOT there before. They ask Darien if he was injured there, but he says, "No, but I do think they probably did something to me. Claire isn't that where the gland is?" She tells him yes but that it is still intact. They then do an MRI and see what appears to be a very small radio of some type implanted under Darien's skin. Realizing this is the problem; they flip him back over, causing him to scream. When asked, Darien says he felt pretty good the other way and begs to be turned again, which they do, thus bringing him immediate relief; at least to his head. His stomach feels like it has grown and he asks Claire. Mike, answers, saying, "Yes, Darien, the force of the position you are in is doing it. This is very dangerous to you. Please let me, at least, put you on your back for 5 minutes so I can begin the process of emptying your stomach of the toxins. PLEASE?" Realizing he might die, Darien agrees and before flipping him, Mike begins an IV and tells him he has also started pain med this way for him. They flip him over, which again causes agonizing head pain, but not as bad, Darien says, "I guess the medicine is working a little, doc." "Good" He can see his stomach is more bloated and he is having greater trouble breathing, even with the oxygen. He knows Mike is right--he better empty out or he'll blow. And he laughs, a bit hysterically at the sight in his mind. Hearing this, Claire runs over, saying, "Darien, Are you OK? What's wrong?" "Oh, just thinking of how funny I'll look when my stomach blows. Should be interesting, huh?" Claire, grabbing his hand, says, "That is not going to happen, Mike has already begun the procedure and we've already emptied 2 liters. Look at your stomach-it is smaller!!!" And he looks and realizes she is right. All of a sudden, he becomes very nauseated and tells Claire, "Oh, crap. I'm gonna be sick," and proceeds to vomit. Mike comes running over and says that's ok that is actually a good sign.  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
  
  
Meanwhile, Stark and Dr. Willliams are observing all this and trying to decide what to do next. Williams suggests again rendering Darien invisible, but Stark disagrees, saying, "I'm having too much fun turning him 'on and off.'" And he turns the knob, thus ending the transmission (and Darien's pain) and looks at his watch for approximately 3 minutes and switches it back on. "I think," he says "We should keep this going for 10-15 minute intervals with 3-4 minute breaks for 2-3 days and see what happens to our guinea pig. I really don't care too much about the agency. I'm really enjoying seeing Darien suffer. After all I have lost because of him, I feel my revenge is sweet INDEED." With that said, he gets up to leave, "I'll be back in 10." Dr. Williams continues to observe Darien's reactions, finally deciding he can't stand anymore. Seems that Dr. Williams has finally had enough, but unkown to him, Stark is suspicious of him. He begins to send Eberts an e-mail confessing what he has done to Darien, in detail, as well as details on how to remove the transmitter, without damage to the host in any way. Before he can finsh the confession, Stark rushes in with henchmen, who take Dr. Williams "for a ride." But at least Claire has some way of helping Darien now. Stark continues observing Darien, deciding it is time for a break and 'turns him off.' Only this time, it seems as if Darien's head pain is not ending. Making sure that he ended the transmission, he turns it and hears the click of on, causing Darien even more intense pain. Transfixed, Stark realizes that Darien will now have constant pain until the transmitter is removed, whether the radio is on or not. "Wonderful!!" With that, he turns the radio to low, continuous, and "enjoys the show." He laughs, watching Claire and Mike try to soothe and calm him enough so they can remove it. KEEP ON TRYING!!!  
Poor Darien's pain has become so intense that he has definitely entered QS madness and Claire's counteragent has proven worthless. Seems he has built up a tolerance to it. His stomach is almost back to normal, but his head, his POOR head. If they had not restrained his arms, he would have injured himself.   
Finally, Mike says, "Well, Claire, I don't see a choice. We HAVE to get that thing out of his head or I'm afraid he'll die." And with that, he gently grabs Darien's head and proceeds to restrain it, while Claire prepares the anesthetic. Praying this will ease his pain, they begin to prep him. Even anesthetized, Darien is writhing in agony. Working as quickly as possible, MIke prepares to operate. When Darien's skull is entered, the pump is found to be superficially implanted near the gland, but not attached to any vital areas of the medulla. "This must be what is causing the pain" and Mike points out the pulsing red light to Claire. With that knowledge, Mike disconnects the signal first and Darien almost instantly relaxes, and they both smile. After this, Mike carefully extracts the transmitter from Darien. While attempting to get at the gland, he falters. Claire says, "Yes, it is imbedded into his cerebral cortex. If removed, he'll be either dead or vegetative. Darien is fully aware of this Mike, so please leave the gland alone. Thanks for trying tho."  
So they close him up and let him rest. His vital signs are good. They have removed 5 liters from his stomach and the lab techs are getting rid of it. He is finally getting a much needed rest. His stomach is still bloated but Mike has removed the NG Tube, telling Claire, "I think we should let nature take its course now." Flipping Darien onto his back, he examines his abdomen and feels there is DEFINITE improvement. "Let's see if we can wake him up and see how he feels." With that, he gives him a stimulant injection. Watching and waiting, they watch the cardiac monitor very carefully. His vital signs do seem stable. Claire says, "Thank God, he's young and healthy to begin with." "Yes," Mike agrees, "I don't think most people would have survived. Do you think the gland or quicksilver had anything to do with that?" "Yes, I bet it does." And as they are talking, Darien begins to wake up. The first thing he tries to do is reach his hand to the back of his head, but can't move. Thinking he is still restrained, he looks down and sees that he isn't. He tries again and finds he is paralyzed; he can move his head and sees his stomach is better and his head does feel better, in fact he has NO pain or feelings of any kind. Turning towards Claire and Mike, he tries to call her, but only mumbles incoherently, and becomes even more frightened. Claire jumps up and rushes to his side. "What is wrong, MIke? " "I'm not sure, Claire, " he replies, "There may be brain swelling or I hit a sensitive area of the brain going after the gland. Darien, I don't know if you understand. but I am going to try to fix you up, but I can't ease the pain. I need you to be awake and tell me when and if you can feel any sensations or say anything at all. If you understand, blink your eyes for me." And he winks his left eye. Satisfied, Mike tell's Claire, "Ok, let's get started.  
This time, Claire, you do it. I'm not familiar enough with the gland and after what happened, I would feel safer if you did it." Hearing this Claire (and Darien) realize Mike is definitely a good guy, as Hobbes would say.   
With Darien flipped on his stomach, Claire begins the procedure. Before entering the occipital area, she must first enter the cranial cavity. Knowing she is causing Darien pain, she is trying to talk softly to him. Once entered, she attempts to, at least, reconnect his voluntary motor nerves. Telling Darien, "Wiggle the fingers of your right hand" She smiles when he does, and then he moves all 4 extremities. Ok, now for the voice center; knowing she now must probe deeper. Hearing him moan (although a good sign) she winces. All of a sudden, he says, "Claire, I love you." but without any emotional inflection at all. She realizes he can talk but may have suffered damage; for she knows how sensitive Darien is. He would NEVER say something so intense with no emotion. And she says to Mike, "I don't know what to think now. He is vocalizing and moving but has no emotion. Darien, How do you feel right now?" Darien says, angrily, "What do you mean? I feel angry and hate, how else would I feel? I feel like a human guinea pig, just like Stark, you and EVERYONE want. HAPPY NOW, KEEP??" And with that, he shuts his mouth. While closing him, Claire tries to figure out what to do. After getting changed and letting Darien rest, she again asks how he feels. This time his response is even nastier. Mike draws Claire to the side of the room and tells her that he thinks Darien is just venting due to all he has been through and needs time to recover physically, mentally and spiritually. Knowing he is right, and admitting, that no one deserves to be angrier than Darien, she goes to The Official. When there, she sees everyone is there. They were celebrating Darien's return, but Claire's news has everyone, including Darien, wondering what else could possibly happen to him? Darien, by himself, is still so depressed that he doubts if anything really good will ever come his way again.  
While lying on the bed, Darien, after what seems an eternity, finally feels his strength returning, although VERY slowly. He attempts to sit up, but still too weak, he falls right back. As he does, he yells, "Oh crap" and laughs at himself, saying, Well, guess I'm more resilient than I even thought. At least, I think I'm me again." And smiling, he begins to laugh, stops himself, but resumes giggling to himself, when he realizes this is just a normal reaction to the stress he's dealt with. Thinking aloud, he says, "Well, Stark, looks like you screwed up again, dude. One of these days, just me and you!!!"  
Noticing the call light, he presses it, expecting to see Claire. But when a man in a lab coat walks in, who is vaguely familiar, his depression returns for he figures, "Oh, crap, here he go." He says, "Who are you? Where's Claire? Or, are you a friend of our mad scientist at Chrysalis?" Mike, trying to reassure him, says, "No, you are at The Agency, Darien. I assisted Claire in getting you well. My name is Mike and I'm an MD. I'll get Claire for you." And with that, he picks up the phone, paging Claire, calming Darien immensely. After putting the phone down, Mike asks him how much he remembers about what has happened to him in the last 16 days. Darien, looking sullen at the memory of all he has been through, states, "It's gonna sound really wierd, but I can vividly remember almost every damn thing, even the operations you did on me. I was paralyzed for a bit and Claire fixed me up, right?" "Amazing," says Mike, "But I do feel sorry for you, I wish there were some way we could purge your memory of the horrible things they must have put you through. Claire got an e-mail from some one titled 'butterfly' who is a sicko-they helped us help you, but seemed to relish in detailing just what they put you through, including why you got that damn blinding head pain.' Darien says, "Please, I DON'T really want to know what they did to my head-but one question. Why can I remember the torture, pain and sensations but I don't really feel them? Did they damage me in some way?" "No, Darien, most people can remember pain, but our brains are designed to numb it once its over. Most women who've had children feel the same way.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
  
  
After answering her page, Claire and the group rush to the lab, almost falling over each other. Praying they will encounter "their" Darien, they all tumble into his room; landing mainly on the floor, with Hobbes on top and The Official, cool as ever, by the window. Laughing, Darien says, "Well, Bobby, how's it feel to be on top?" And they all laugh and hug and shake his hands. Even 'hard-hearted' Alex is overcome with emotion at Darien's recovery.  
Realizing he has a long recovery ahead of him, both physically and psychologically, Mike makes everyone except Claire leave after a long visit. From Darien's haggard expression, maybe too long, but knew this was therapeutic for them all. As Mike returns, he excuses himself, as Darien and Claire are deeply involved. Separating, embarassed, they all laugh. "I'm sorry, doc." Darien says, "But I never thought any of this would ever happen or that I would ever feel happy and safe again." And overwhelmed, Darien begins sobbing like a little boy, causing Claire to hold him tighter. "Claire, stay with him, call if you need me." And he whispers, "This is a sedative, use it if needed" and sneaks it into her pocket.  
Realizing Darien needs to let his feelings out, Claire lets him cry until he stops by himself. When he finally stops, he pulls back a bit and says, Thanks, Keep, I needed that." And gives her a passionate kiss, and as they part, they both laugh. Darien, then seriously says, "I wonder what IS really going to happen in my life now? I mean, I know Stark and his "friends" must have screwed with my head as well as my body. I know, because to tell the truth, I feel very hyper but I also feel weak. Physically, I guess I don't know how I feel, except I really thought I'd be feeling a bit better than I do." And staring at Darien, Claire realizes he does look very pale and in pain, and she asks, "Darien, are you still having pain ANYWHERE? Can you describe any of the feelings of discomfort? This is VERY important. There may be something we didn't catch." And with that frightening thought, Darien's feelings of depression and the unknown return full force. Thinking, he says, "Well, I still have a dull pain in my head. My stomach still feels very queasy and I am a bit dizzy. I also feel very nervous and my skin feels like there are ants walking all over it." Claire, hearing this, immediately calls Mike. Upon hearing Darien's symptoms, he takes his blood pressure, which is 154/98, and Claire says, "He usually runs 120/80." "Yes," Mike agrees, "That is VERY high. Darien, I hate to put you through any more, but I need to bring you back to the lab and do some blood work and other tests to see what is going on, ok? I promise I will hurt you as little as I have to." And with that, Darien gets in the wheelchair, this time worried because he doesn't know what is wrong now. Claire, suspecting Stark had boobytrapped either Darien or the transmitter in some way decides to inspect the transmitter very carefully. Telling Mike, but not Darien, of her fears, she goes into an auxillary lab while Darien goes with Mike.  
Claire opens the transmitter/pump very carefully, finding a mechanism enclosed with liquid in it. Carefully removing it, she prepares a specimen. Just as she thought, it is NOT counteragent at all, but the slow acting poison that has surely invaded poor Darien's brain. It also seems to be the QSII experimental solution that has overdosed and caused the QS saturation into Darien's bloodstream. Realizing that Darien has told her he now experiences pain with every dematerializaton, she deduces this mixing of the 2 different quicksilvers must be the reason why, and she cries, because she knows of no known antidote for the poison that is slowly killing Darien. Also, she MUST retest the counteragent on him to see if its failure was only temporary, or he will soon go permanently quicksilver mad! The only thing she is sure of, is that once Darien rematerializes, his pain seems to lessen, but the pain seems to intensify the whole while he is invisible.  
Meanwhile, MIke is examining Darien's blood and also realizes he has been given a slow-acting poison, but has no idea how long ago, or HOW much longer "the kid" has. He proceeds to, gently, question Darien, saying, "Darien, did they give you any injections other than what you told me?" Darien thinks hard and says, "Yeah, that insane guy stuck me at least every hour for about 2 days straight and then about 1 day later, he gave me about 2-3 needles and then no more "unnecessary" ones after that. Why?" "How did you feel after those injections? Did you feel anything like you described to Claire?" And thinking back Darien, says, "Yes, yes, as a matter of fact, I felt that way after each one. What the Hell did they inject me with? Am I gonna never feel good?" And with that, in anger, he bangs his fist on the table, causing himself to go invisible and he cries out in pain, and rematerializes. "My God! I can't control my invisibility. You better get Claire. There is definitely something wrong." And he clutches his stomach in pain.  
  
  
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
  
  
Back at Chrysalis, Stark is so mad, he could kill someone and he almost kills Dr. Williams in anger. Saying, YOU are just lucky we are still able to monitor the agency audibly and that Darien is still dying. Remember, Doctor if he lives, YOU DIE!!!!" Dr. Williams says, I assure you he has a lot more pain to endure before he dies." "This is the only reprieve you will get."   
Claire, rushing in to Darien, prepares a dose of counteragent, just to see if that helps. Within minutes, he is smiling and says, "I do feel a bit better" and looks at his tattoo, which is ok again. "Don't tell me, Claire, that I will have to endure this for the rest of my life?" Claire and Mike look at each other, because they both know it probably has to do more with Stark's poison than anything else, but they don't know whether or not to tell him. Darien, noticing the interplay, demands to know, saying, "OK, WHAT is it? Am I slowly going invisible permanently or something?" And he laughs nervously. Mike, as gently as possible, says, "No, Darien, it seems that Stark had you injected many times with a slow-acting poison, and that is probably causing the pain and discomfort, but for some reason it intensifies when quicksilvered. I think it is not compatible with the gland or quicksilver, and Stark knew this. I think this is why your pain is intensifying. I suspect you are having more pain, even when visible." Darien, looking at Mike, begins laughing maniacally and says "Well, aren't you the brilliant one? And yes, you're right! I'm in alot of pain right now, but you know what I'm beginning to like it." And Claire, in shock, looks at his eyes and sees he is in QS IV and his eyes are red. "Oh no, Mike he is in QS madness, get me an antidote." "No, Claire, I'm sorry but it's too late. I'm leaving;" and with that,   
Darien dematerializes, cries in pain and they hear him slam the door. Hitting the alarm and yelling Darien is mad and invisible, Claire runs out and falls over a now visible crying Darien. He looks up at her and she can see he is totally confused and consumed with pain. Calling to Mike, they get him inside and restrain him. Mike takes another blood sample and finds the poison is much more proliferative now. "Claire, I think you better see this." And looking in the microscope, she can't believe what she sees to be true. Darien IS definitely dying and there doesn't seem to be anything anyone can do. She summons The Official and tells him. He comes down and can't believe how horrible Darien looks. "There is nothing to be done?" he asks. Mike replies, "We are trying every antidote and combo we know, but so far no luck. Do you think Stark would help?" And Claire, sarcastically laughs, and says "No, he hates Darien and blames him for the death of his top agent and lover, so believe me, Stark would never help. I'm afraid he would only hurt Darien more. Not that I can see how he could."  
With that, she grabs Darien's hand and gasps. It is cold to the touch and he looks DEAD! "MIKE!! I think Darien's coded." And Mike runs over and examines him-as he does Darien takes a big deep breath and starts coughing. He is so weak; he can't even swallow his own saliva. They suction him and place an IV in him. His vital signs are very poor and Mike feels he should be in a real hospital where he could be monitored better. They transfer him to a secret hospital and he is immediately placed in Intensive Care with Mike still in charge of his care and Agency nurses utilized. This way, heaven forbid, if Darien goes invisible he will still be cared for. Darien is now in a coma and Mike has noticed his fading every once in a while. He is afraid poor Darien is beyond care.   
Asking Claire to contact Darien's family, Claire informs him he really has noone except The Agency. "That's why we recruited him. His brother, his only relative, was murdered after implanting the gland." With that knowledge, Mike proposes to try to get the gland and give Darien some peace anyway. Claire agrees and surprisingly The Official agrees and says, "Claire, please dispose of the gland when you get it. I REFUSE to let anyone suffer like Darien did. I will NEVER forgive myself for what I've put that boy through. I AM the one who authorized Darien as the recipient in the first place." With that terrible admission, he cries and says, "Claire I am SO sorry. May God forgive me!" She goes over to him, and soothes him the best she can. She then leaves and returns to the hospital and prepares Darien, & herself for the operation, all the while, saying good-by and telling him she will NEVER stop loving him. She also says, "Who knows, Darien, maybe this will cure everything." And as she is talking, Mike walks in, smiling for he has some good news. "Well, Claire, I've some good news." We may be able to stop the poison, but if so, do you still want to the removal? " "Of course not," she replies and tells him to give it to him. He injects his IV and they wait. He wakes a little, still comatose, but his vitals do improve abit. After 2 hours, they take a sample and THERE IS slight improvement. Telling Claire, he has had this poison in his system at least 2 weeks, it could take that long or longer for him to get well or it could take less or there could be no change at all.  
Filling The Official in, she calls Hobbes who immediately comes to visit. The three of them decide to take turns watching him, with Mike the first. About 4 hours later, Hobbes comes in and replaces Mike. He has a CD player and tapes with him and Mike smiles, saying, "Let us know if there is any change." As soon as Mike leaves, Hobbes says to Darien, "Ok, partner, let's wake up now and get this show on the road. They are purging that junk out of you and soon we'll be tackling the bad guys again. I PROMISE YOU MR. STARK IS MY #1 TARGET!!!" And he puts on some of Darien's favorite motivational tapes.   
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN  
  
  
While waiting for news about Darien, The Official receives a phone call from Forrester Perdue, Darien's father, who is supposed to be in the witness protection program. Refusing to be placated. Perdue demands to know what's happened to Darien, saying he'd heard talk and had to find out if it is true. The Official refuses to talk over the phone or in his office, let's meet somewhere and mentions a number, which Perdue understands as code and a time and agrees. After hanging up, he looks up at the ceiling, benignly, thinking to himself "Enjoy the game while you can, Stark" and leaves. Grabbing Eberts, he drags him to the janitor's closet and says, "Albert, don't say a word. I know what this looks like, but there is a reason. We have been infiltrated by Chrysalis. I found a bug in my office and I want you to, covertly, sweep for me and until we are clear, NO computer e-mail, phone conversations or unnecessary talk of ANY kind from anyone, esp. ANYTHING ABOUT DARIEN!! OK?" And Eberts nods his head and says, "I'll personally write and deliver memos to everyone, sir. Was that Chrysalis who called?" "No, Eberts, it was someone from my past (and connected closely to Darien) whom I will be meeting in 20 minutes. I am going to tell you something very important, that YOU are never to repeat. Do you hear me? (And Eberts, nervous, nods yes) Darien and I are related; his father and I are brothers. But not close, he was always the black sheep and I was always the secretive covert one, but always knew where he was as I worked for NSA, too, until they became too insane. I am telling you this in confidence. I know you always were aware I felt closer and more protective of Darien than I let on. Now you know why. He is my only nephew. So now I must go see my only brother, whom I've not seen or spoken to in over 30 years. That is why I made sure Darien did not kill him in that mission. I could not have a son or a father kill each other." And with that, he leaves, with Eberts slowly following him, shocked by this revelation. Thinking to himself, "My God, what he has been living with!"  
Leaving the office in the capable hands of Eberts, he gets in his car and goes to the appointed place. As he leaves, he laughs to himself at the memory and shock to know that both he and Forry still remember their private code. He knows that his brother will be at the Hollywood Bowl in the bandshell at 4pm and it's now 3:45 so he'd better get a move on. And he gets there at 4:01pm and rushes to the bandshell, where his brother is sitting. "Still out of shape, Charlie, I see" he says and hugs The Official. After a bit of teasing on both sides, they get down to the business at hand. Filling Perdue in, Joe says, "I know I promised Elizabeth and mom I'd take care of him, but I guess I kind of let everyone down." Forrest, shocked, says, "YOU! What about me and my screwed up life? Without even being in Darien's life, I've wrecked his life and wasn't even there when Liz died. And don't think I ever stopped loving her, because I didn't. I doubt I can ever make it up to Darien, you, mom or anyone, but if Darien does survive this, I WILL. Another reason I want to get together is I KNOW how to get Stark and maybe all of Chrysalis, but definitely STARK! AND I would love to do it. NOW I've a plan, if you are willing to go "Outside" a little." And Charlie, having mixed feelings (But mainly of love, and avenging his nephew) knows he definitely wants to, but is scared. "So, Charlie, tell me what you think. Before we do anything, I WANT to see my son." And with that, The Official and Perdue leave and drive to the hospital, where Claire is now monitoring him. She, being Catholic, has begun praying the rosary, and knowing Darien is also Catholic she is doing this in her normal voice, hoping he will wake up and pray with her. As she is doing this, he does awaken, but instead of praying or recognizing her, he asks, panicked, "Where am I?" Claire, ringing for Mike, tries to orient him but with very little luck, until he is given a sedative and calms down. "I'm sorry, Claire. I remember now. How long have I been out, this time."? When told, 3 days he is shocked. "Hey, Doc," He says to Mike, "How much longer do I have?" And Mike, confused, says, "What do you mean Darien? We told you you are safe and free now." "Yeah, I know. But DON'T you realize I know I'm dying because of something those bastards gave me and I need to know, approximately, if any, the time I have left. I need to do a few things." And with that, he grabs Claire and hugs her, saying, "Oh, Claire, please stop crying. I hate to see you sad. Why don't you get a cup of coffee, esp since you already know what Mike is going to say. You don't need to hear or be here. YOU need a break." and he shoos her. "Now, Mike, PLEASE tell me the truth. I may not be able to take it, but I DO need to know."  
And MIke says, "Well, Darien, yes you were poisoned with an unknown slow-acting poison, which appears to be activated when you are invisible and this is what is causing the pain. I have been working on an antidote but so far no luck. I don't really know how much longer, but I would say 7-8 days at the most. I am sorry, but you asked for the truth." Looking pale and scared, Darien asks, hopefully, "Will I only feel discomfort when invisible?" "Well," Mike replies, "To be honest, I am not sure, but I do think you will start to feel discomfort which will, sadly, intensify as the poison invades more of your cells. When that happens, I promise you I will give you as much pain relief as I can." And hearing this frightening aspect, Darien begins to cry and shake and all of a sudden, he grabs his head, yelling, "Oh, no, not again. My head feels like it did before. Is this what you meant? PLEASE, just remove the gland and get it over with. I WILL sign the release I mean it-anything to get rid of this!" And hearing Darien scream, Claire rushes in and soothes him the best she can. Mike tells her and seeing what is happening and knowing Darien can't take much more, she nods in agreement. MIke leaves to get the paperwork and prep a team and room. Vowing their undying love to one another, Darien and Claire promise, if Darien should somehow survive, to consummate their love legally.  
As they are talking, The Official and Forrest walk in and see how bad Darien looks. Darien and Claire are shocked. Both weren't aware that The Official knew about Perdue or his relationship with Darien. As The Official, who now tells her to call him Charlie, fills in Claire. Perdue gets reacquainted with his son and tells him who The Official really is. Darien, a lot mixed up, scared, overwhelmed and angry, says to The Official, "Thanks for being such a great Uncle. I'm glad you had one nephew to torture. Did you two really hate each other or my mom or me that much??" And with that, he turns on his side and begins to sob, totally overwhelmed by all that has happened to him in 3 weeks. Laughing to himself, he says, "You know, guys, my life right now would even be too intense for a soap." Finally relaxing a bit, and realizing he has to think straight and say stuff before he can't, he turns and says, "Ok Claire, do me a favor get Alex, Eberts and esp Bobby here. I have a few things to say, but first I need to borrow some paper and a pen, so I can write it out first." After Claire brings it to him and tells him The Official contacted the group, he asks everyone, including Mike, to leave him alone for 2 hours and when he assures them he just needs to be alone to gather his thoughts and write, they agree. And so he begins, "To all my friends and family I really do LOVE all of you, more than I could ever say......and 2 hours later, after many tears and not a few laughs, Darien, although in more pain than ever, calls for his friends. Mike answers first and sees Darien doubled over in pain and offers some analgesic. Darien refuses saying, "No I don't want to dull my senses. This is too important." After Mike explains that Demerol wouldn't interfere, he agrees and does feel a bit better.   
As soon as he is able, he greets everyone, formally, and thanks them for coming and standing by him. He then says "I've written something that I want everyone here to listen to and PLEASE don't interrupt me while I do. I am NOT going to look at anyone, but only at my paper. I think this is the only way I will get through this." And so he starts:   
To all my friends and family, I really do LOVE all of you, more than I ever said or could say. Eberts, you were always the butt of my sick jokes and yet I know if it weren't for your levelheaded paper pushing computer savvy way, The Official would be lost. I would love to leave you something else, but all I have is a laptop and some RPG games for you. Bobby, what can I say about a partner who is more nuts than me but who is 100x smarter than anyone I've ever met? I know you have "Moby", but I also want you to have all my "tools". Alex, I haven't known you that long, but you are one of the coolest ladies I've ever met. I wish I could get your son to you, but I can't. As everyone knows, I live literally out of a suitcase-so don't have much. But I can give you this; in my office there is a brown envelope with information about Chrysalis that may help you find your son. I was working on that when this happened. (And unknown to anyone else, The Official and Eberts exchange knowing glances-this is why they took Darien when they did!) . And to The Official, now my Uncle Charlie-I don't really know what to make of all this. I know I've always had a special place in my heart for you. I've always felt like you cared more than you let on, guess I was right, huh? It's a shame we both waited too late to say anything. (And Darien, hears sniffles, looks up, with tears in his eyes) Well, Uncle Joe you found dad-all I can give you is for you two to have time together. I also give you all my pictures of our family-I don't recall ever seeing any of you, but I wouldn't would I? And dad, what can I say?  
I don't see you for 25 years and then you save my life after seeing me, even when I was quicksilvered. I'll never figure that one out-guess blood really is thicker than water (and all of a sudden, he moans, but continues, softly.) All I can give you is a rosary and locket that mom gave me-she said you gave her the locket the day I was born and the rosary when I was baptised, so the circle is now complete. Please share the pictures with Uncle Charlie. There are some great ones of mom when she was really feeling good. The best thing about what is happening to me is I will see her soon. Man, I miss you mom. And Claire, what can I give you except my soul and undying love. Please take care of Cleo for me and brush her. I'm sorry but that is all I have to give. I love you all and just in case I do survive and get "my stuff' back, please know that my feelings towards all of you will never change. And Doctor Mike, to you I say thank you for all you did and tried to do for me. I leave you my body. I'm sure it will be of interest to someone-as Stark said I am the perfect guinea pig for all science." And he ends, taking a gasping breath and cries.   
He motions to Mike, whispering, "I think it's getting close-the pain is so intense I feel like my head and heart are bursting. Aren't you ready to get the damned gland yet? I know I signed all the necessary forms-I read'em and made sure the donor one was there." Mike, looking at the cardiac monitor realizes Darien only has minutes left, agrees. He makes everyone leave and tells them, "We must prepare him-these are HIS wishes and we must abide by them. " Going back in the room, he sees Darien has passed out. Seeing he is alive, he prepares him, himself. Saying to himself, I've only known you a short time, Darien Fawkes, but you are very special. Dear Lord, if there is some way to save this very important guy please do so." And finishing, he summons the team to transport Darien to the surgical suite.  
  
  
CHAPTER NINETEEN  
  
Rushing back to the office, Alex, The Official and Eberts all run to Darien's office and go through the envelope he mentioned. Alex finds a picture of her son, and puts it in her pocket, after kissing it. Eberts, meanwhile, is on the computer, but writes a memo to Joe, saying, Sir, don't you think Chrysalis is watching us? And Joe, answering, says, "I don't give a damn at this point. What more can they do to my nephew? He's dead, right, so his suffering is over." And he winks at them. Hearing this, Stark stops transmission and turns to the Dr. and says "Lucky, aren't you?" And he shoots him in cold blood. Summoning someone to take the 'garbage' out, he calls the hospital pretending to inquire about Darien's condition, and is told he is dead. Thus convinced, Stark completely puts the Darien Fawkes case out of his head and thinks of what else to do.  
Eberts gets a telephone call, and smiles. "Sir, it seems as if all the bugs in the office just shut off at the same time. We are definitely clear. I guess Stark believes Darien is dead. Shall I call now, sir?" "Yes, Eberts and hurry before Mike starts operating." And Alex, confused, says, "What is going on?" Joe tells her, "Mike has an antidote, but we didn't want Chrysalis to know about it, nor did we tell Darien or anyone, because we aren't sure it will work, either because of all he's been through or it is the wrong one." Hanging up the phone, Eberts sighs, "We just made it, sir. They had just wheeled him to OR. Mike said they would keep him in the Holding Area and treat him there as that is a sterile environment. He is initializing reverse isolation-seems that Darien has experienced leukemia like phenomena and this is the safest thing. He is also afraid this may be true leukemia but masked with all that is going on." Eberts, looking at Charlie, says, "I'm sorry, sir, I know you were hoping for better news, but maybe we will get lucky. Darien may get lucky, he sure deserves it." And The Official says "I don't know...I would trade my life for his, believe me and I know where I am ending up." As they are talking, the phone rings and Alex picks it up, says "Fantastic" and hangs up, smiling. "GREAT news. The antidote WORKS-they gave him a massive initial dose, just for the hell of it, and it seems that, not only is his bloodwork improving, but Darien is feeling a bit stronger, although he is vomiting alot." Charlie, standing, says, "Great, let's get there NOW! Stark will get his later. Darien comes first and foremost from now on."  
  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY  
  
Darien continues to improve, and he and Claire have gotten closer and closer. It has been 1 month since the cure and 46 days since the "Hell." He is still weak and must take medication but he is definitely on the mend. His beloved Cleo is back and Claire has 'temporarily' moved in to care for them both. Hobbes had become very attached to Moby, so Darien let him keep "him". His dad and Uncle are visiting quite a bit, but NOONE tells him anything, esp anything about Chrysalis. Knowing he becomes terrified just at the thought, he feels if he knew what was going on with the bad guys, he'd be ready this time. Darien still doesn't feel completely safe or free of them, but he hasn't let on to anyone.  
Hobbes comes to visit and Darien, being very bored and frustrated with nothing to do, says, "Look Bobby, I'm almost well, by now, I don't have any pain at all now, even when I quicksilver." And he goes quicksilver to prove it to Bobby and Claire, only to moan and rematerialize, laughing sheepishly, "Well, not as much as before. But IT is really getting better!! AND I AM BORED, BORED, BORED!! Come on, Bobby, let's go for a walk, if nothing else." Claire nods to Bobby and they go. While walking, Bobby says, "You know, partner. I really do miss working with you. Alex is ok, but I can't talk to her, if you know what I mean." "Yeah, I do, Bobby. But listen, I did this so you could tell me what is going with Chrysalis (and he trembles at the name involuntarily and looks around nervously). I know everyone is protecting me, but it terrifies me not to know. I keep thinking they will come get me again and this time I can't even guess what they might do to me. I mean, if you saw that computer stuff, WHAT ELSE can they do????" Looking at the ground, Bobby says, "Well you're right, I'm not supposed to say, but don't worry about Chrysalis. Your father and uncle got Stark and he is DEAD-I know because I went ballistic when I saw him and blew him away in cold murder and I AM GLAD I DID, but before the SOB died, he said he was glad you were dead-when we told him you were not only alive, but getting back to your old self-he died. So, my friend, you can rest knowing he is gone. Of course, The Fat Man was not happy, Outwardly, because he wanted to question him-personally I think if I hadn't done it, he would have with his bare hands." Hearing all this is overwhelming to Darien, who feels very faint all of a sudden. Grabbing Hobbes, he says, "You better help me back. I don't know what it is, but all of a sudden I feel dizzy and weak, and..." and he falls, with Bobby catching him just before he hits the ground. "Oh my God, DARIEN?" Getting no response, he turns his head and sees he's out-picking up his limp form, he rushes back. (Darien still weighs only 124-still way below his normal weight of 165, so for Hobbes it is a very light burden.)   
Once in the house, he yells for Claire, who comes running. Examining Darien, she reports he fainted. "Must have been too much, that was his first real exercise in a month." Bobby, nodding his head, says,'"No, Claire, I filled him in about Chrysalis. Don't give me that look-he had a right to know and wanted to know. I think he is just superrelieved now knowing he has nothing to fear. Now he can concentrate on getting well." And as they are talking his father and Uncle Charlie walk in, with Charlie telling Bobby that it was ok and he agreed with his decision.  
  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
  
Six months later, Darien is back to normal-quicksilver and all. But there have been some major changes in his life and ALL for the better. His father is now a member of the agency, although not an active agent and lives with Charlie. He and Hobbes are again partners and Alex has taken time off to get reacquainted with her son. It seems that after Stark died, his wife didn't want anything to do with the boy. And Eberts, well, Eberts is good ole' Eberts. But the BEST thing that has happened to Darien is his marriage to Claire. They got married 3 months ago and his father walked her down the aisle, while Bobby was best man and Alex Maid of Honor. They honeymooned in Hawaii and the warm sun and beautiful weather did wonders for his constitution. After 2 weeks there, he was really ready come back to work. All in all, Darien Fawkes, after going through Hell, has now found a little bit of Heaven on Earth.  
The End 


End file.
